Minus dicit plus significat vult enim quod non solum in futuro sed etiam hic punitur tale peccatum He speaks little but he signifies much for his meaning is That such a sin is punished not only in the next world but also in this 10. Your late Jesuites tell us of a remission of the sin with a reservation of the punishment but your old Divines take remitting for not punishing without which in truth it cannot be remission For God doth not afford us a less forgiveness then he doth require us to afford one another and that is so to forgive the sin as not once to think of punishing or of revenging it For indeed to forgive sin is nothing else in its own nature but not to reserve it to be punished and because God punished our Saviour for our sins it is said He made him sin for us 2 Cor. 5. 21. For so Christ took our sin upon him that is to say not our Guilt but our Punishment and he took it upon himself that he might not leave it upon us For he was wounded for our transgressions Isa. 53. 5. He was bruised for our iniquities that is He was punished that we might be acquitted The chastisement of our peace was upon him that is His chastisement was our Peace and with his stripes we are healed And blessed be God we are so for sure it is we could never be healed with our own stripes it is his wounds work our cure and not our own yet I will not follow Scotus who to confute them that denyed contingency did say It is pitty but such men should be under torments till they should confess it were possible for them not to be tormented I will not say in like manner It is pitty but they who deny our souls to be healed with our Saviours stripes should themselves be beaten with many stripes till they should confess that their own stripes could not heal them for then I know they would be under the lash for ever But I must say That it were just with God to put them under such a confutation For they are under a gross denyal not of a Metaphysical but of a Theological Truth and that of such a Truth as hath joyned Gods Mercy and Justice both together in mans salvation and therefore such a Truth as may not be denyed without great uncharitableness to man and greater unthankfulness to God I think few of those men who now most stand upon this new Divinity of remission in the next world to be obtained by our own stripes and others suffrages because it brings them so good a market would be willing at their deaths to venture their souls upon it for fear it should bring them as bad a remedy And I cannot but wonder at your Cardinal who hath said concerning this Text Hinc colligunt Sancti Patres quaedam peccata remitti in futuro seculo per orationes suffragia Ecclesiae Bellar. lib. 1. de Purg. cap. 4. Hence the holy Fathers do gather that some sins are forgiven in the next world by the prayers and the suff ages of the Church for he could not say this if Saint Thomas said true without putting Saint Augustine and Saint Chrysostom out of the Catalogue of the Fathers 11. I know our Country-man Backet was swayed by Saint Augustine to conclude for Purgatory but I fear either he mis-applyed or mis-understood Saint Augustine or Saint Augustine mis-understood himself For Saint Augustine hath most dogmatically determined against it lib. 13. de Civit. Dei cap. 8. In requie sunt animae piorum à corpore separatae Impiorum autem poenas luunt donec istarum ad aeternam vitam illarum vero ad aeternam mortem corpora reviviscant The souls of the righteous are in rest of the unrighteous in torment after they are separated from the flesh till the bodies of the one shall be raised again to eternal life the bodies of the other to eternal death 12. But he that will not teach Fancy instead of Faith must take God for the Author and Gods Church for the Pillar and ground of that Truth which he teacheth else he may chance rove in uncertainties to the worlds end especially if he shall take Metaphorical allusions for dogmatical conclusions and florid declâ—…mations for solid determinations as Divines now usually are on all sides in their citations out of â—…he Fathers upon any argument making some of them speak against their own doctrine to speak for new devices and in effect to write contradictions rather then not write for the great Diana of these clamorous Ephesians Therefore I will not here examine the citations of the Fathers for surely A Christian Divine is bound to teach no other Faith for Christian then such as hath been manifestly declared in the Word of Christ and generally and constantly professed by the Catholick Church of Christ And your Cardinal finds not so muth as the word Purgatory in all the Scriptures nor in any one general Council till the fourth of Laterane under nnocent the third above twelve hundred years after Christ which was as far from being Oecumenical as Rome is from being all the Christian world and if it had been so yet hath only furnished us with Consultations not with Canons or Constitutions your own Platina being my witness who saith thus in the life of Innocent the third Venere multa in consultationem nec decerni tamen quicquam apertè potuit Many things were debated but nothing was openly decreed in this Council and I hope you will not say that they passed their decrees in private or by any underhand dealing An observation that may weaken some of your other Tenents no less then Purgatory which you obtrude upon the consciences of men as established by the Canons of this Council which in truth made no Canons at all if your own Platina be worth belief 13. Next I meet with your Cardinals Reasons whereof some do rather put then prove this new Article of Faith contrary to Aquinas who allows not of Ratio ponens but only of Ratio probans radicem fidei par 1. qu. 32. art 1. ad 2. arguing not so much from the authority of Gods Word as against it As particularly that reason lib. 1. cap. 11. Intelligibile non est quomodo verbum ociosum ex naturâ suâ dignum sit perpetuo odio Dei maneat igitur quaedam esse peccata venialia solâ temporaâ—…i poenâ digna No man can understand how an idle word is in its own nature worthy of Gods eternal hatred therefore let it stand for a Truth that some sins are venial and only worthy of temporal punishment A strange way of arguing for a Divine who should not exercise his Readers curiosity but establish his conscience Christ saith That for every idle word men shall give account in the day of Judgement to make men repent before hand even of their least sins that judging themselves they may not be
these two words And I ask no more about the â—…ow words Covenant and Testament to vindicate this my observation from domestick impertinencie and from forrein calumâ—…e which takes notice That Christ is called â—…he Mediator of the New Testament Heb. 9. 15. not the Mediator of the New Covenant as in other places 3. For even your own Latin Interpreter though in the Books of Moses he commonly say Faedus orpactum as Gen. 17. yet after them He doth much more delight in the word Testament then in the word Covenant as Psal. 50. v. 5. Qui ordinant Testamentum ejus super sacrificia not those who have made a Covenant but those who have made a Testament with me by Sacrifice looking through the Sacrifices of the Law upon the Sacrifice of Christ and in his death seeing that made a Testament which was before but a Covenant so again v. 16. Why takest thou my Covenant in thy mouth Pactum meum saith Pagnine and faedus meum saith the Hebrew as before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my Compact or Covenant but your Latin Testamentum meum my Testament And though Exod. 24. 7. he saith Volumen Faederis the Book of the Covenant yet Heb. 9. 4. he saith Arcam Testamenti The Ark of the Testament notwithstanding the Ark was so called from the Book that was kept in it therefore either he should have said the Book of the Testament or he should not have said the Arke of the Testament but as in Exodus he said The Book of the Covenant so in the Hebrews he should have said the Arke of the Covenant using the same word in both places as the Seventy Interpreters and ours do since both relate to the same Thing I say not this to blame your Interpreters but to shew you upon what slight grounds you have blamed ours and more particularly Bâ—…za for using the words Covenant and Testament promiscuously for he did no more then your own Latin Translators had done before Him Therefore since you have respect to the man with a gold ring in goodly apparel that in your account weareth the rich clothing of Authority equally with the Original Text it self and say unto him sit thou here in a good place which however the Ancient Fathers did vouch safe only to the Original Text placing the Greek Testament but not any Translation of it on a Throne in the midst of their assembly in the four first general Councils you may not justly say to the poor man in the vile raiment for such is Beza in your account as being a Protestant Interpreter though you put the Master upon him that he may be thought a Gentleman rather then a Divine stand thou here or sit here under my footstool unless you will be Partial in your self and become a Judge of evil thoughts James 2. 4. And yet even Beza himself prefers Testament before Covenant in the Title to his Translation saying Testamentum Novum The New Testament though he also adde sive Novum faedus Domini nostri Jesu Christi or the New Covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ haply to shew that Jews and Christians had but one and the same Covenant to be saved by one and the same way of salvation though under defferent forms of administration and that was through our Saviour Christ who was to them no less then to us The way the Truth and the Life But to return again to your Interpreter for I left Bâ—…za to follow him that 〈◊〉 might say of Christ he was the Mediatour of the New Testament not of the new Covenant Heb. 9. 15. 't is very observable that Exod 24. 8. he saith Hic est sanguis Faederis This is the blood of the Covenant But Mat. 26. 28. Hic for Hoc est sanguis Novi Testamenti Tbâ—… is the blood of the New Testament Nay those very words of Moses which in Exodus he interprets sanguis faederis The blood of the Covenant Exod. 24. 8. in the Epistle to the Hebrews he interprets sanguis Testamenti The blood of the Testament Heb. 9. 20. Sure he saw either more efficacy or more comfort in the word Testament than in the word Covenant or he would not have exchanged the one for the other in the Interpretation of the very same Hebrew Text. 4. But why should I mention one single Interpreter for so he is accounted though he be made up of two interpretations the old Vulgar and St. Hieroms when the whole Catholick Church recording the Books which contain the mysteries of our salvation had rather call them the Old and the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then the Old and New Covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeking rather to bring the Law to be called the Testament in compliance with the Gospel then to permit the Gospel to be called the Covenant in compliance with the Law And indeed though the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Covenant between two parties both living then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Testament which supposeth one party to be dead yet the Sept. never interpret it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Covenant but by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Testament Symmachus renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal. 44. 18. but the Sept. there also hold to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surely by some special Providence and for some special reason happily to shew us That as all the Promises of God were Truth in Christ so they were also Mercies in him as in Christ Jesus every Promise was Yea and Amen so also in him alone it was such as to make us say of it Amen so be it even the Covenant of not drowning Noah with the world Gen. 6. 18. where this word is first used and of not drowning the world any more Gen. 9. was no mercy but in Christ the promised seed the Saviour of the world For what mercy is it not to perish by water to be reserved to everlasting fire to be suffered to prolong the pleasures of a sinful life that we may encrease the torments of an eternal death Therefore I conceive the seventy Interpreters in rendring the Hebrew Berith did make choyce of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Testament rather then of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Covenant that they might direct all mens thoughts and desires only to Christ and fix all their hopes and delights upon him for that the word Testament doth as expressely point at our Saviour Christs passion as St. John Baptists finger did point at his Person and doth in effect say what he said Ecce Agnus Dei Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world for he took away ous sins by his death plainly presignified and necessarily included in the word Testament because that could not be ratified and confirmed without his death For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator Heb. 9. 16. But where a
Covenant is there must of necessity be the life of the Covenanter Therefore if I will have the full comfort of the death of Christ overcoming for me the sharpness of death and opening to me the gates of everlasting life and rescuing me from the guilt of sin the terrors of hell and the tyranny of the Devil I must go to the Testament which tells me of Christs death not to the Covenant which threatens mine own by shewing me the multiplyed offences of my sinful life And in truth he that will deny this to be the proper signification of the word Testament must also deny St. Pauls argument which here depends wholly upon the proper signification of that word And for this cause saith the Apostle He is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the Promise of eternal inheritance For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator Heb. 9. 15 16. He saith not the Mediator of the New Covenant which supposeth the life of the Covenanter but of the New Testament which supposeth the death of the Testator and accordingly he placeth all the strength of his argument in the word Testament which by vertue of Christs death gave us redemption from transgressions and admission to an eternal inheritance So that we had need go to the Testament not to the Covenant both for our Redemption and for our Inheritance For the transgressions which were under the Old Covenant that of works here called the First Testament because as it was repeated by Moses it was not dedicated without blood v. 18 19. could not be expiated but by the Redemption that was under the New Testament wherefore the Covenant puts us in fear of captivity and death and 't is only the Testament gives us hopes of liberty and life And accordingly the Apostle useth the word Testament of purpose to proclaime the abundant Grace and Goodnesse of God to mankind that after our fall he was pleased to give us not a Covenant but a Testament For a Covenant is a matter of strict Justice having mutual conditions between both parties which if either fail the agreement is of none effect But a Testament is a matter of more Grace as being the conveyance of an inheritance without any harsh conditions imposed upon the Heires and before any obliging offices performed by them And such was the Act of God to us sinful men when we had disabled our selves to performe the conditions of his Covenant It was a Testament to instate us in the right of Salvation by the death of our Redeemer and therefore the Apostle sets it forth with the adjuncts and properties not of a Covenant but of a Testament For the proper adjuncts of a Covenant are not Blood and the Death of the Covenant-Maker which two alone are here mentioned since a Covenant is rather voided than established by death but both these are the proper adjuncts of a Testament which though made before the death of the Testator yet is not established till after it wherefore since our blessed Saviour did presignifie and promise his own death and the effusion of his own blood by Typical Sacrifices till he verified that Promise by the real Sacrifice of himself upon the Cross the Spirit of God in this place thought fit to make choice of the word Testament whereby to express this Act of his free Grace and favour towards us and sure no Minister of Gods Church may justly be questioned for speaking after the dialect of Gods Spirit 5. For what should a sinful soul do but gaspe after Gods free Grace acknowledging it to be Grace because she is â—…worthy and to be free Grace that she may not be uncapable of it For as she may easily perish by opposing it so she must necessarily perish by not obtaining it And the desire of opposing Grace must needs be a great impediment in obtaining Grace for God that gives Grace above our deserts wil not give it against our desires since it is expressely said That God resisteth the proud and therefore most resisteth those that are most proud even the proud in spirit who dare capitulate with his Justice but giveth Grace to the humble and therefore most Grace to those who are most humble even to the meek and lowly in heart who rely wholly upon his mercy And this consideration alone though you see it is not alone was enough to make me say and is enough to justifie my saying I am afraid of the Covenant and fly to the Testament for by the Covenant I can look only for Justice which I am afraid to find but by the Testament I can look for mercy which I desire to find here for the Comfort hereafter for the Salvation of my soul And if any be so hardy as to venter his soul upon the terms of Justice I may allow him to have the greater confidence but I cannot allow him to have the greater Comfort and I wish he may not have the lesser Salvation 6. And whereas you tell me Nay you your self are not afraid of the Covenant but fly to it for in your ejaculation 20. using S. Pauls words Heb. 12. you say I am desirous to come to mount Sion and to Jesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant I crave leave to tell you that this objection was farre fetcht to shew you were willing to make it and may be as deare bought if I can shew you are not able to maintain it For I was bound to alledge St. Pauls words as I found them translated that none might be mistaken in my allegation and I found them thus translated To Jesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant Therefore in that I alledged them so I only shewed my self not afraid of the translation but I might still for all that be afraid of the Covenant For custome that ought to regulate speech which is established by it ought not to regulate conscience which it cannot establish The Word may be confined where the Thought is at liberty I speak for others but I Think for my self therefore I must speak according to Custome and yet may still think according to Conscience But I will not plead Custome when I may justly plead Comfort for in these words is nothing at all to terrifie my soul but very much to comfort and to settle it For it is said The Mediatour of the New Covenant which is every jot as comfortable as the Mediatour of the New Testament for it directs our hearts as immediately to our blessed Saviour since as the New Testament was confirmed so the New Covenant was signed and sealed with his Blood the only Balme to heal wounded Spirits the only Anchor to settle floating consciences Nay yet more here is Jesus expressely named To Jesus the Mediatour of the New Covenant so that if I were afraid of the New Covenant as you
must be done by Christians which Christ hath commanded and that Christ hath commanded all the moral duties that were before commanded by Moses for Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect Mat. 5. allows not a lesse but rather requires a greater perfection under the Gospel than under the Law yet we dare not take our Personal doing that is our doing by our selves for the condition of the New Covenant as if our Salvation depended upon that but only our Virtual Doing that is our Doing by our blessed Saviour whose obedience is made ours by the power of Faith or our hearty desire of Doing and sorrow for not Doing which is accepted as Obedience by the power of Repentance Bona opera per peccata mortificata reviviscunt per poenitentiam is the general Tenent of the School good works that have been buried by sin are revived by Repentance As our sins have power to bury our good works so our Repentance hath power to raise them up again which clearly shews it is not our Righteousnesse but only our Repentance that is above our sins For our Righteousnesse may be overcome and conquered by our sins but our sins cannot be overcome and conquered by our Righteousness we must go to our blessed Redeemer for that conquest but only by our Repentance 17. Wherefore I will make bold to change your definition and say Christs New Testament is a new conditional Covenant with us by which we are bound to repent for not perfectly doing all those things our selves which God hath commanded us and to believe in him that hath perfectly done them all for us that we may obtain the promised inheritance in which condition if we fail sc. of believing but not of Doing we shall never attain thereto for to put Doing properly so taken and 't is not for a Divine to speak improperly as the Condition of life or Salvation is to set up the Covenant of Works not the Covenant of Grace and that is to puzzle not to Preach true Christianity We find Adam had but one poor Commandement upon the first Covenant viz. Not to eat of the fruit of one single Tree among so many and he kept it not though he was endued with strength to keep it he was to do but one thing whiles he had his perfect strength and he did it not And how can you say that a better Covenant binds us to do many things or else to forfeit our inheritance now we have lost our strength and are not able to do rightly and perfectly so much as one Therefore pray let the Condition of life in the second Covenant not be our Doing but our Believing not our entire Obedience but our entire Repentance And let him alone have the glory of perfect Obedience who came from Heaven to purchase it and the rather because he purchased it not for himself but for us allowing the benefit of it to his Servants though he reserve the glory of it only to himself we must do the best we can to keep off and to east out the great Dragon that old Serpent called the Devil and Satan but pray let it be only the seed of the Woman that shall break this Serpents Head and let not us think we are able to break it Nor have you made the condition of Salvation any whit lighter or easier by saying we are bound to do many things our selves then if you had said we are bounâ—… to do all things For if Doing be the condition of life it must reach to All Things that are to be done else not Doing will be the Condition as well as Doing And without doubt if we can do any one thing so exactly and perfectly as fully to satisfie the Obligation of the Law we may do many and consequently All and then what need we the seed of the Woman to break the Serpents Head since we can break it our selves for if we can take away his sting we may easily break his Head Now the sting of the Serpent is sin and the strength of sin is the Law Therefore if the Law be fully kept sin can have no strength and the Serpent can have no sting I do not think there is in all Christendom so religious a Votarie but will confesse that the old Serpent hath at some time or other by his sophistry beguiled him with his venome defiled him by his power overcome him and that therefore in himself he hath been captivated under Ignorance guiltinesse and infirmity even through his actual sins and should still have been detained under that captivity if God had not mercifully given him such a Redeemer who was pleased to be his Prophet to instruct his Ignorance his Priest to expiate his guiltiness and his King to strengthen his Infirmities If he confesse this he hath great reason to mistrust his own doing If he confesse it not He hath the greater reason to instruct himself For his ignorance keeping him from the knowledge of what he is to do his guiltiness keeping him from the desire and his weaknesse keeping him from the power of doing it he cannot hope to be saved by his Obedience but by his Faith not by his Doing but by his Believing Thus St. Paul preached the Covenant of Grace saying He was an Apostle of Jesus Christ according to the Faith of Gods Elect and the acknowledgement of the Truth which is after Godlinesse there 's the Obligation to righteousness in the Covenant of Grace But this righteousnesse is not the condition of life in that Covenant for it follows In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began Tit. 1. 1 2. The eternal life is not annexed to mans performance but to Gods promise not to mans duty but to Gds mercy For this promise of eternal life was made before man was created and it was made to Christ the eternal Son of God on mans behalf That all who should believe in him according to the Faith of Gods Elect and the acknowledgement of the Truth which is after Godliness should through that Faith come to eternal life Upon this Promise did God seek us when we were lost restore us when we were dead reconcile us when we were his enemies and upon this same promise will he save us now we are his Servants For though all men are lyars and fail of their Godliness yet God that cannot lye will not fail of his promise Thus again saith the same St. Paul For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. There was first an Atonement to be made for our reconciliation before there could be a Covenant made for our Salvation And as mans righteousness did not make the Atonement so neither doth mans righteousnesse fulfill the Covenant we are eternally obliged and should be wholy devoted to our blessed Saviour for both alike as That
day in Paradise that is in the state of glory as all Catholick divines profess and teach So that I do not well understand what was your aim to make this Objection The Answer 1. MY intent was to comfort the dying not to contest with the living To shew to penitent and believing Christians That for them to depart out of this life is to be with Christ because it was so to Saint Paul and to the good thief before them You are willing to lay Purgatory in their way which I look upon as a very stumbling block fit only to make their passage hence much more formidable and much less comfortable Nor can I find your Commission as you are a Christian Divine to break a bruised reed and quench the smoaking flax much less to throw it into the flames to burn and to consume it For sure it cometh nearer the office of Christ which is the foundation should be the platform of yours to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to comfort them that â—…ourn in Zion to give beauty for ashes not burning instead of beauty the oyle of joy for mâ—…urning the garment of praise even the immaculate robe of our Saviours righteousness for the Spirit of heaviness Isa. 61. For our Saviour Christ requiring the Ministers of his Gospel sparingly to use even true frights in bringing obstinate sinners to rely on his merits and mediation will never approve those who invent false fears to scare true Penitents that are actually with him from their comfort and hold in him 2. But this is rather to acquit my self I come now to answer you and say That Saint Paul looked upon his life as that which gave him a being with the Philippians and therefore was more advantagious to them But he looked upon his death as that which would give him a being with Christ and therefore would be more advantagious to himself This makes him desire rather to die then to live because by his death he should so depart from the one as to approach to the other His dissolution was to be his admission into heaven not his introduction towards it to let him first into Purgatory and from thence to transmit him unto Christ This is Saint Chrysostoms exposition He saith It is good to be dissolved and to be with Christ for death or dissolution in it self is an indifferent thing neither good nor bad but it is bad when a man dies to be punished and sure Purgatory in your belief is a very great punishment good when he so goes from men as to go to Christ So that if you suppose his being dissolved and being with Christ were not both together in one and the same instant Saint Chrysostom will tell you his dissolution was not good and if not good sure not desireable And if good only for being with Christ then desireable only for that being 3. Yet you say All the strength of my first argument stands upon the desire If so it cannot stand upon the dissolution and then it will follow Saint Paul might be dissolved and not be with Christ say then Saint Paul might go to Purgatory to make your good Catholicks the more willing to go thither after him But first so make them good Catholicks as not to let them be bad Christians For their desire to die so holily as to escape Purgatory is too servile to make them good Christians even in the Heathen Poets divinity Oderunt peccare mali formidine poenae They are wicked men who hate to sin for fear of Punishment Therefore if they desire to avoid sin meerly for fear of Purgatory they are not good Catholicks If for love of Christ as their life is to be in him so their death is to be with him and that immediatly for else not to be with him but with some other before him which made Saint Hierom to say concerning Nepotian when he was but newly dead Scimus Nepotianum nostrum esse cum Christo corpus terra suscepit Anima Christo reddita est Hier. in Epitaph Nepot We know that our Nepotian is with Christ you now say quite contrary we know that he is not with Christ for he is in Purgatory the earth hath his body but his Saviour bath his soul See how he disposeth of a man that dies in the faith of Christ His body goeth to the dust but his soul goeth to Christ that redeemed it Oh Sir be not you so willing to allow much less to make a separation betwixt Christ and good Christians in that very instant which God hath appointed to consummate their Union since you find it so expresly said That neither death nor depth and sure Purgatory is a depth in your account shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom. 8. 38. and much less shall it be able to separate us from Christ Jesus our Lord of whom it is said Jesus having loved his own which were in the world he loved them unto the end John 13. 1. Nay who hath said of himself Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me Joh. 17. 24. This will of his was fulfilled not only in Saint Paul who was given him by a miraculous conversion in his life but also in the good thief who was given him as a more miraculous Convert just a little before his death yet even he was told that he should be with Christ not with tormented souls immediately upon his dissolution and that in Paradise not in Purgatory And I cannot see may not say That Christ is less willing to receive those who are now given him or shall be given him to the worlds end then he was to receive that thief And therefore I still say he was no priviledged person after his conversion to go to bliss sooner then other Penitents though he were indeed a priviledged person in regard of his conversion to be made a penitent when his fellow thief and many others were still left in their impenitency And that satisfies all the evidence you have produced against me either out of your Rhemish or out of your Romish Doctors so that you may reserve your Jo. Poean Jo. Triumphe till another occasion For that evidence makes not my assertion of his being no priviledged person any whit more inevident For he was not priviledged as to his death but only as to his conversion Wherefore since our blessed Saviour is still as ready to receive other true Penitents as he was the good thief I hope you will not say he is ready to receive them in Purgatory not in Paradise For sure you are if it were to be proved as you assert that Christ once shewed his glory in Purgatory yet he doth not now shew it there and therefore that cannot be the place for Christian souls to go to when they depart from hence because
or exactly proportionable to the Justice of the Creator for it self much less for another from its own worthinesse but only from Gods acceptance And that Christ himself as man could not have merited forgivenesse of our sins at the hands of God as having satisfied his offended Justice if God had not been mercifully pleased of his own free grace and goodnesse to accept of his satisfaction Nullius creaturae neque adeò Christi apud Deum esse meritum satisfactionem simpliciter condignam sed ex acceptatione ipsius Dei qui sponte suâ eâ satisfactione merito volâ—…it esse contentus Vasques in 3. Thom. Disp. 5. c. 1. So that if the eternal Son of God did by his most condigne and compleat righteousnesse purchase for us forgivenesse of sins and eternal life merito ex compacto non autem absoluto only by compact or covenant not by absolute Justice then what a vain imagination is it to think what an unwarrantable fiction is it to say that one mans righteousness can be meritorious to make another righteous which hath no condignity to challenge acceptance for it self and much less hath any compact or covenant to be accepted for another And if it be not meritorious to exempt him from guilt how can it be satisfactory to exempt him from punishment For satisfaction is an act of Justice but Justice will have the sin expiated before it will have the punishment remitted wherefore though your great Doctor spoke without book surely without Gods book when he said That the least drop of Christs blood was a sufficient satisfaction for the sins of the whole world and consequently that all the other passions of Christ were meerly superfluous as to our redemption from eternal death Bellar. de Jndulg l. 1. c. 4. For this assertion makes God delight in Unnecessaries which even nature abhorres meerly by instinct from him nay it makes him delight in some kind cruelty if not as injustice punishing our blessed Saviour more then was needful for the satisfaction of Justice yet if we should gratify him with the allowance though not the approbation of this unwarrantable asserion it would not do his work by laying a firm foundation of his surposed Treasury of thâ—… Church built upon the superfluous merits and passions of Christ the blessed Virgin and the other Saints 1. Because the Passions of Christ though they were all infinite in value from the dignity of the sufferer yet were none of them superfluous for the cause and ground of his suffering 2. Because there it is not the same reason of merit in the Saints as was in Christ For even those actions of Christ which proceeded from his humane nature had their merit from his Divine nature as the flesh of Christ is said to give life the obedience of Christ to give righteousness the blood of Christ to have redeemed the Church not in it self but as the flesh and the obedience and the blood of the Son of God The Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Acts 20. 28. He shed his blood as man but he purchased the Church with it as God Those doings and sufferings of Christ which had their original from his Humanity had their excellency from his Divinity not so the doings and sufferings of the Saints for though they proceeded from the spirit of God yet were they the doings and sufferings only of men not of God because the Spirit of God dwelled in them not by a Personal Union but only by a powerful Communion 3. Because there is not the same reason of the acceptance of the Saints merits as of Christs For Gods promise of accepting the sufferings of his Son for the expiation of our sins is most evident not so of accepting the sufferings of his servants were they more then enough for themselves There is not in all the written word the least contract or Covenant of Gods making That he would accept superfluous merits or sufferings or satisfaction from some when for defects and demerits and dissatisfaction from others Besides what a strange insolency is it for a Divine to deny to Christian souls the Imputation of that part of Christs sufferings which is absolutely necessary both for Gods satisfaction and for their own salvation and at the same time to avow the imputation of that Part of Christs sufferings which he professeth to be superfluous For if necessary sufferings or doings may not how should unnecessary be imputed But above all it is a most abominable insolency to deny the imputation of Christs righteousnesse which is both substantial and satisfactory and to allow the imputation of the Saints righteousnesse which is not substantial as to its supposed superfluity and cannot be satisfactory if it could be superfluous t is not sufficient to justifie them that have it much less them that have it not The blessed Virgin her self did say My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour Ascribing to her God not to her self the honour of her salvation Therefore though she had a vast stock of oile in her Vessel for her own lamp yet I fear if any foolish Virgin which had not so should say unto her Give me of your oyl for my lamp is gone out she would turn the parable into a history and say not so lest there be not enough for me and for you Matth. 25. 9. This answer the Text in effect gives for her as for the wisest of all Virgins and therefore 't is most probable she would give it for her self and if so To let pass other absurdities T is certain you egregiously affront the mother of God in taking away her oile without her consent if you do not egregiously delude the sons of men in saying that her oyl will serve to feed their lamps you may as well say that her good works will serve to nourish and sustain their Faith or that her Faith will serve to purge and save their souls And as for the other Saints they cannot satisfie the Justice of God for themselves and much less for others because there are two impediments of their perfection in righteousnesse and an imperfect righteousness if it could be spared would in vain be communicated The first is the impediment of their Original the second is the impediment of their Actual sin They are both affirmed together by the Holy Ghost Prov. 20 9 Who can say I have made my heart clean sc. from my original corruption I am pure from my sin sc. from my actual transgression He that cleanseth the heart knoweth best how far he hath cleansed it we cannot cleanse our hearts but by his help and assistance if we can let us say no longer Make me a clean heart O God and he owneth no such cleansing in this world but which still leaveth some uncleannesse behind it He that hath made no use of his assistance is not at all concerned in this Interrogatory Who can say I
we have been reconciled so also that we shall be saved And therefore we must take that for the condition of Salvation in the Covenant of Grace which sends us immediately to Him to wit Our believing and not that which sends us to our selves though it proceed from him to wit Our Doing Thus hath the common mother of all Christians the Catholick Church taught all her sons to pray That in all our works begun continued and endâ—…d in thee we may glorifie thy Holy Name and finally by thy mercy obtain ever lasting life placing all the hopes of eternal life not in mans Duty but in Gods mercy that is not in Doing but in Believing He that is constantly prevented in all his Doings by Gods most gratious favour and as constantly furthered by his continual Help must needs have the best confidence of his Doings yet may not hope to obtain the promised Inheritance of everlasting life by Doing without being a Schismatick in receding from the Unity and a Heretick in departing from the Verity of the Catholick Church in this excellent Prayer unlesse we will say which were impious once to think That the Catholick Church teacheth such Devotions as are contrary to her own Doctrine 18. Nor doth this assertion any whit lessen the Obligation though it doth very much sweeten the condition of the new Testament It is the same in effect with the old Covenant as to the Matter of its Command though not as to the form of its promise for it requires what we are bound but it accepts what we are able to perform It commends our entire Obedience but it assures Life upon our unfeigned faith and repentance And it is so far from diminishing or lessening any wilful sin either of omission or of commission that it rather augments and aggravates the same For whereas wilful offenders did before trample under foot the Word of God whereby they should have been restrained now they also trample under foot the Blood of God whereby they have been redeemed from their fins Tell me what is wanting in their Obligation who are bound by promise and vow to these three things 1. To fosake the Devil and all his works the pomps and vanities of the wicked world and all the sinful lusts of the flesh 2. To believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith 3. To keep Gods holy will and Commandements and to walk in the same all the daies of their life And every childe that is trained up in our Church knows he was bound to all these when he first received the Seal of the New Covenant and therefore cannot but look upon all these as the material parts of his Obligation by that Covenant and upon himself as a most perfidious wretch if He wilfully fail in any part of his Obligation and as a most miserable wretch if he do not earnestly repent of his failings But will you therefore say That because he hath failed in these he hath forfeited his Salvation Is Doing all these as they ought to be done for else 't is not doing of them the formal part of the Covenant of Grace or the condition of life in that Covenant May we not say That he forsakes the world the flesh and the Devil who doth not follow and is not led by them That he believes all the Articles of the Christian Faith who cries out with tears Lord I believe help thou my unbelief and that he keeps Gods Commandements who prays with hearty sorrow Lord have mercy upon me and with hearty desire Incline my heart to keep thy Law or write all thy Laws in my heart I beseech thee If we may say so then this is that which God requires to our Salvation and by this we perform the condition of that Covenant by which we hope to be saved wherefore though Doing be derived into the Constitution yet it is not derived into the Condition of the New Covenant The Constitution of the New Covenant is as it was of the Old according to Justice exacting the compleat performance of our Duty as it is said This day thou art become the People of the Lord thy God Thou shalt therefore obey his voice and do his Commandements Deut. 27. 9 10. and that is properly called Doing But the condition of the Nâ—…w Covenant is meerly according to mercy accepting our sincere resolution for our compleat performance and that is properly called Believing This is the Condition which we must fulfil or we can have no right to the promised Inheritance And since this is the only Condition we can fulfil we may not put in another instead of this no more then we may put our selves out of the Hope and Right to Gods Promises And we Protestants do conceive we have the greater reason to oppose your merit of works because That hath been a means to make you oppose the grace and mercy of Gods New Covenant yet to shew to you and to all the world That we so stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made 〈◊〉 free as to abandon all manner of Libertinism we acknowledge no other Faith to fulfil the Condition of the Covenant of Grace but such as teacheth us to fulfil all manner of righteousness A Faith that devotes the whole man to God In his understanding by knowing and believing In his will by loving and embracing In his affections by desiring and prosecuting In his Actions by conforming and obeying A Faith that believes in whole Christ even in Jesus Christ our Lord receiving him in all his Offices not only as a Priest to reconcile us by his death there 's Jesus and as a Prophet to instruct us by his word there 's Christ but also a King to rule and govern us by his Laws there 's Lord A Faith that believes not only speculatively to sanctifie the contemplation but also Practically to sanctifie the conversation having a firm resolution of obeying Christ in all things and a serious repentance for its defects and wants of Obedience And such a repentance that devotes the whole life to God by an entire aversion from all sin and by an entire conversion to all righteousness with the whole powers and faculties both of soul and body of soul to detest sin of body to decline it of soul to hunger and thirst after righteousness of body to endeavour and to act it He that is not thus qualified in some degree doth falsly think himself in the state of Grace and he that is not in the state of Grace doth in vain hope to be saved by the Covenant of Grace and concerning such a man the question is now as unanswerable and will be to the worlds end as it was at first making Can Faith save him Jam. 2. 14. For the Faith that fulfils the condition of the New Covenant labours for our full conformity with our blessed Saviour and laments and bewails all our failings and defects in the persuit and desire of that consormity It layeth an absolute necessity upon